The Digital Ethnography Initiative (DEI) was founded at the University of Vienna and is the first step towards greater visibility of ethnographic work on “the digital” at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology. It aims to establish an open space where department-based expertise, experience and research is visible to colleagues, students and the general public, thus also contributing to ongoing interdisciplinary dialogues and public engagements. Although DEI acknowledges and encourages the inherent interdisciplinary nature of digital ethnography, it also places particular attention on the in-depth understanding of historical developments within ethnography in general and its proximity to the discipline of social and cultural anthropology.

DEI is an attempt to establish a space, where longstanding anthropological interest in ethnography meets interdisciplinary dialogue. We do not only aim to engage in the discussion of what digital ethnography means across disciplinary boundaries but also to address specific issues, theories and methods. By providing an online open-access platform for sharing resources, making local expertise and research projects visible, and by organizing regular events, the initiative aims to provide orientation in a messy world of boundaries-crossing methods for researchers and students alike.

Recent Blog Posts

• From Stars to Stories: Experimenting with Google Reviews in Ethnography
  Alice Roberte de Oliveira* Introduction Ethnography is crafted from field experiences, and each one is unique. Sharing particularities might help other colleagues diversify their data gathering. In my ongoing PhD in Communication Studies, gathering Google Reviews was a new way of engaging with the field and bringing texture to my research. By revealing personal experiences,… Read more: From Stars to Stories: Experimenting with Google Reviews in Ethnography
• Overcoming Methodological Challenges with Reflective Video Diaries: The Case of Smart Toothbrushes
  Marije Miedema* This blog post is based on the master’s thesis completed at the Research Master Arts, Media and Literary Studies, at the University of Groningen. It highlights one specific part of the methodology (reflective video diaries). To read the full thesis, click here, or reach out by e-mail. Toothbrushing is embedded in our daily routines,… Read more: Overcoming Methodological Challenges with Reflective Video Diaries: The Case of Smart Toothbrushes
• Research Data as Web Archives – Web Archives as Research Data*
  Svenja Kunze** and Leslie Gauditz*** Good research data management is an essential to digital ethnography but also a challenging process. A wealth of information must be filtered along the lines of the research interests, but also collected, sorted, and stored in a technically and ethically appropriate way. Thereby, this process has many similarities with the… Read more: Research Data as Web Archives – Web Archives as Research Data*

Feel free to get in touch with us at info@digitalethnography.at

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Header photo by Daniel Gzz on Unsplash.